The eight metropolitan areas of Arkansas reported increases in local area personal income in 2014, with growth ranging from 1.6 percent in Pine Bluff to 4.1 percent in Fort Smith.
Michael Pakko, an economist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, noted the changes on his blog, ArkansasEconomist.com. The information was based on new data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis late last year.
“As measured by the price index for personal consumption expenditures, the general level of prices rose by 1.4 percent in 2014, so all eight metro areas saw positive growth even after adjusting for inflation,” Pakko said.
Per Capita Personal Income in Arkansas Metro Areas
2014 Per Capita Personal Income
| Metropolitan Statistical Area | Growth Rate 2013-2014 | Dollars | Percent of U.S. |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | 3.0 | 50,686 | 110.1 |
| Fort Smith | 4.1 | 33,900 | 73.6 |
| Hot Springs | 4.0 | 36,218 | 78.7 |
| Jonesboro | 1.7 | 33,024 | 71.7 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway | 2.6 | 40.925 | 88.9 |
| Memphis | 2.3 | 41,935 | 91.1 |
| Pine Bluff | 1.6 | 30,986 | 67.3 |
| Texarkana | 3.6 | 34,175 | 74.2 |
| Arkansas Statewide | 3.4 | 37,782 | 82.0 |
| United States | 3.6 | 46,049 | 100.0 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, ArkansasEconomist.com